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Cleaning Gutters Instructions

Cleaning Gutters

Homeowners often put off cleaning the gutters because doing so can be a messy job. Don’t make that mistake! It is important that you maintain a free-flowing gutter system as your gutters prevent rain from running from your roof and falling too close to your house. Flowing water away from your house properly will protect your foundation, keep stains from developing on your siding, and keep walkways ice-free in the wintertime. Also, it will take you only a short period of time to clean, and cleaning them will alert you to other problems you may have on the roofline.

Overview

In cleaning your gutters, first take care of placing your ladder properly. Then remove the larger debris from the gutter. Check for obstruction in the downspout. And finally, clean out and replace the downspout if necessary.

Routine Cleaning

The most basic, but necessary maintenance you should do is clean your gutter system thoroughly. You should clean and repair your gutters twice a year – once in the spring and once in the fall. Begin by securely placing your ladder so that you can reach the gutters easily. Do not rest the ladder directly on the gutters, as you will damage them! There are gutter attachments available to raise your ladder higher without damaging your gutters. Using rubber gloves, manually clean out any debris that you can reach in the gutters. It is a good idea to throw the debris into a bucket or garbage can directly so that you do not make a mess around your home. While you are cleaning, you should hammer or replace any nails that might have come loose. You will also want to check the roofline for damages to the gutter or the roofline. Use a water hose and spray down the gutters of any small debris. You should see the water flow out cleanly from the downspout. If you don’t, you will need to clean out your downspout.

Check Downspouts

If the water does not flow out cleanly from the downspout, you should disassemble the downspout joint from the gutter. You should disassemble the downspout from the gutters every time you clean if your downspout flows directly into a main drain. This is a simple task that you start by removing any retaining screws or hardware from the joint. After removing the hardware carefully pull the joint downward to remove it from the gutter. After removing the downspout from the gutter, using the strongest setting on your hose, spray water through it until it flushes clean. If any obstruction does not dislodge, try to reach it with your hands. If neither of these methods work, you will have to use an auger to remove the clog. After getting the downspout free of debris, you will need to scrape off the adhesive from the hardware and inspect the downspout and the gutter to be sure that they are not damaged or dented.

Replace Downspout

Use a silicone joint sealant around the downspout attachment and slip the downspout back into place. Once you have given the sealant time to dry, spray water down the gutter system to ensure that it is watertight and that the water flows out properly. If there are any damaged areas, refer to our Gutter Repair tutorial where we will show you how to repair damaged areas of your gutter system.